Mutya Buena

Influenced by the new wave, dance, and pop music of the 1980s, the record enjoyed success in the UK, where it reached number two and went triple platinum.

Rosa Isabel Mutya Buena (born 21 May 1985) is an English singer and songwriter who rose to fame as a member of girl group the Sugababes.

With the Sugababes, Buena had four UK number one singles, an additional six top-ten hits and three multi-platinum albums.

The Sugababes were formed in 1998 by Siobhán Donaghy, Keisha Buchanan and Buena.

Their debut album, One Touch, was released in November 2000 and peaked at number twenty-six on the UK Albums Chart, eventually earning a gold certification.

One Touch spawned four singles, three of which reached the top twenty, while the album's lead single "Overload" was nominated for a BRIT Award for "Best British Single".

The album's sales did not meet the expectations of London Records and the group was subsequently dropped.

The group's second album Angels with Dirty Faces was released in August 2002 through Island Records.

It produced two number one singles and was nominated for "Best British Album" at the 2003 BRIT Awards.

Three, Sugababes' third album, was released in October 2003.

It reached number three in the UK and produced four singles, all of which reached the top ten.

After leaving the group in December 2005, she released her debut solo album, Real Girl in June 2007.

The group's fourth album, Taller in More Ways, was released in October 2005.

The album reached number one and went double platinum in the UK.

On 21 December 2005, it was announced Buena left the Sugababes.

According to an announcement on their official website, "[Buena]'s decision was based purely on personal reasons and she will continue to remain the best of friends with both [Buchanan] and [Range]".

Buena later stated in an interview that she was suffering from postnatal depression after the birth of her daughter combined with the group's increasingly hectic schedules, and chose to leave to spend more time with her daughter.

The last remaining original member, Buchanan, said upon Buena's departure, "...we will all miss Mutya, but we also knew there was still a place for bringing in somebody new who could help us carry on taking the Sugababes brand of music forward".

Amelle Berrabah joined the group 48 hours after Buena's departure.

Following her departure from the Sugababes, Buena began working on her debut album in early 2006 after signing with her previous label, Universal Island Records.

She also contributed vocals to the album Soundboy Rock by Groove Armada.

The first single to be released in the UK featuring Buena was a ballad duet with George Michael, titled "This Is Not Real Love".

It was released in November 2006 and reached number 15 in the UK.

Preceding the album, the title track, "Real Girl", was released in early 2007.

It reached number 2 in the UK and received a BRIT Award nomination for "Best Single".

The song samples Lenny Kravitz's song "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over", and was produced by London-based production company Full Phat.

"Real Girl" was also featured on the Sex and the City, Vol 2: More Music Soundtrack.

Buena's debut album, Real Girl, peaked at number 10 on the UK Albums Chart.

"Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)", her collaboration with dance duo Groove Armada, was released in the UK in July 2007 peaked at number 8.

The fourth release from the album was "Just a Little Bit", which reached number 65.

Buena also collaborated with Amy Winehouse, on a re-working of the track "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes titled "B Boy Baby", which reached number 73 in the UK top 75.

On 1 October 2007, Buena was nominated for the 2007 British "Music of Black Origin" (MOBO) awards at the O2 Arena in London.

On 12 February 2008, Buena was dropped by her record label due to poor sales and charting positions from Real Girl and her last two singles, "Just a Little Bit" and "B Boy Baby".

Buena returned to Sugababes with the original lineup in 2012.

In 2012, Buena and her former Sugababes bandmates Siobhán Donaghy and Keisha Buchanan confirmed their reunion.

The original trio originally opted to release music under the name MKS (Mutya Keisha Siobhan), releasing one single, "Flatline", in 2013.

In September 2019, the group officially confirmed their return as the Sugababes.

In May 2021, Mutya released a UK garage-inspired track entitled "The One" with electronic music producer duo Ryuken on New State Music.

Buena was born in Kingsbury, London to a Filipino father and an Irish mother.

She attended Kingsbury High School.